The field of the present invention is that of weather strip seals and decorative trim for automotive vehicles. More particularly, the field of the present invention is that of a sealing strip co-extrusion that combines the functions of a sealing strip with a decorative trim extruded directly onto a sealing surface of a sealing wing.
Automotive vehicles have an exterior sheet metal, plastic or fiberglass body with a plurality of body panels. Virtually all automotive vehicles have movable and/or fixed windows in their side doors. Accordingly, there is a requirement for various designs of weather stripping to seal gaps between one body panel structure and another body panel structure or a body panel structure and a movable or fixed window.
The sealing requirements for a weather strip typically bring about a usage of materials such as EPDM, TPV or TPR rubber or a thermoplastic material. These materials typically have a durometer between 40 and 90 Shore A to allow the material to properly seal. When the weather strip is being applied to seal a movable structure such as a window, flocking or other low friction coating must be utilized.
Because most sealing strips are black due to the high amounts of carbon black used to mix the sealing material, decorative exterior trim is often utilized on automotive vehicles to conceal the sealing strip from view. The decorative trim is pigmented to blend, match, or contrast with the color of the vehicle body panels. Typically the decorative trim needs a glossy finish. Accordingly, most automotive trim strips are made of material with a high durometer, that being a harder material than the EPDM, TPV or TPR material.
When sealing a movable structure from the interior of the vehicle such as a window, a different problem is presented. A weather strip which seals the window from the interior of the vehicle will have a sealing wing which makes contact with the interior side of the window. To allow for proper sealing, the sealing wing typically is fabricated from the afore described EPDM rubber, TPV or TPR material having a durometer between 40 and 90 Shore A. Additionally the sealing wing will have flocking or a low friction coating added thereon. These materials, flocked or not flocked, are often difficult or expensive to provide in any color other than black. Even if such sealing materials are pigmented to another color, they do not present a glossy finish. It is desirable to provide a weather strip having a sealing wing that can seal an interior surface of the vehicle (such as a movable window) while at the same time provide a glossy finish seen from the exterior of the vehicle which may be optionally color matched with the body panels of the vehicle.
To make manifest the above-noted and other desires, the present invention is brought forth. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention brings forth a weather strip seal for an automotive vehicle. The weather strip seal has a carrier reinforcement. A first elastomeric material is extruded onto the carrier forming a retention portion and a sealing wing extending from the retention portion. The first elastomeric material may be a TPR, a TPV, or an EPDM rubber. Connected with the retention portion and also formed by the first elastomeric material is a sealing wing having a first surface for sealing with respect to a second movable structure by contacting the second movable structure with the first surface of the sealing wing. A second ionomer material layer is co-extruded onto the first surface of the sealing wing. The ionomer material forms a low friction layer and is held between 50 and 300 microns on the sealing wing. The low friction layer also has a gloss level between 20 and 90 degrees and has a durometer of 30 Shore A to 57 Shore D, making it harder than the first elastomeric material. Due to the thinness of the ionomer, the ionomer material can act as a seal. Due to the intrinsic properties of the ionomer material, a high gloss finish is provided which can be color coordinated with either the exterior body panels or the interior trim of the vehicle as desired.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a weather strip seal for an automotive vehicle having a thin layer of ionomer material for the sealing surface. It is an object of the present invention to provide a weather strip seal for an automotive vehicle having a low friction, glossy surface which can be used to seal a movable structure such as a window, from the interior of the vehicle.